KURT RUSSELL'S BEST MOVIES

Hey, I don't think we are talking enough about how great Kurt Russell is. So I made a list about it. What did I miss? Note: I didn't include Used Cars because I haven't seen it (is it good?), and Death Proof because I think it's kinda boring. Is this okay?

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The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969)

Pretty sure this plot does not hold up given what we now know about cybernetics, but it is a highlight of Russell's G-rated Disney days. Later re-made with Kirk Cameron in the Russell part, which is maybe the biggest downgrade in the history of movies.

Kurt Russell in an eye patch? I'm in! The first of three 80s movies with John Carpenter, Russell plays outlaw Snake Plissken like a nihilist John Wayne. Amazingly he was still mostly known for his Disney comedies at this point.

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The Thing (1982)

Arguably the greatest horror movie ever made. It couldn't have been easy for Russell to crank his natural energy down to the low boil that John Carpenter keeps this terrifying gem at, but guess what? He does it. Great performances all around actually -- especially Keith David.

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Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

The last of his 80s collaborations with Carpenter, I'm a little wary of the racial and gender politics of this movie, but I am in no way wary of Kurt Russell's fucking incredible head of hair. Full of magical lines too: "Sit tight, hold the fort, keep the home fires burning. And if we're not back by dawn...call the president." (Writer WD Richter has the weirdest career ever... He also wrote Home for the Holidays, the 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Peter Bogdanovich's Nickelodeon.)

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Overboard (1987)

Shocked to see that this movie has a 50% on Rotten Tomatoes! Am I alone here? This is Kurt and Goldie's Annie Hall, their Rumours, their everything else. Get with it, critical consensus.

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Tango and Cash (1989)

Might even surpass Big Trouble in terms of hair... The chemistry with Stallone is off the charts! It should be called Last Tango in Paris and Cash. Or maybe Last Tango and Cash in Paris? Or just Last Tango and Cash? In Cash? Not sure. Point is: it's great. Bonus: you get to see him in a dress. Double bonus: the (shitcanned) first director co-wrote Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev. Further proof that Tango and Cash is, in fact, an art film.

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Captain Ron (1992)

The videotape of Captain Ron came with the VCR, right? I literally didn't know one person who did not own this movie. Great to see Russell back in the eyepatch -- undoubtedly a reference to Escape from New York. (Escape from LA hadn't yet been made, and the less said about it, the better.) It feels like this is a part that a Murray or Aykroyd or Candy would've played, but Russell makes it his own. He may seem kooky at first but you better believe the lessons he imparts will come in handy!

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Furious 7 (2015)

I'm still not exactly sure who his character is or what function he serves, but this is a tremendous movie and he is tremendous in it. The story pauses for an inexplicable two minute Corona plug, and boy does Russell sell it hard.